Vehicle-trailing device.



Patented Feb. 29, 1916.

miwiqle ROBERT L. MAIPSON', or 13A Mme, CALIFORNIA, assrenon or SPERBECK, OF L APMESA, GALIFORNI ONE-HALF TO LORENZO VEHIGLE-TRAILING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT L. MArsoN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of La Mesa, in the county of'San Diego and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Trailing Devices, o which the fll0wingris a speclficatiom My invention relates to devices for coupling two or more vehicles together for trailing the rear ones, which are provided with means for steering the same.

The objects of my invention are, first, to

. provide a trailing device that is so construct ed that it is adjustable throughout, thus making it readily applicable to various makes of vehicles; second, to provide such a device that is simple of construction, durable, easily. installed and easily handled, and third,to provide such a device thatmaybe readily applied and is so accurate in its bporation that a plurality of vehicles may be trailed one behind-the other so that the hind wheelsof each vehicle will trail the hind] Wheels of the front vehicle at all times.

With these and other objects in view, as

- will appearhereinafter, my invention con 'slsts of certaln novel features of construcfat tion, combination .and arrangement-of arts as will be hereinafter described in etail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the antitanpanying drawings and to the characters\ of reference hereon which form a part of this specificatioh, in whichz.

Figure 1 is a. plan view of the rear a'le of a trailed vehicle and the front axle of e trailing vehicle, showing'my device mount ed thereon and showing, by dotted lines, the

ed from that position of the steering rod connectitm when the steering rod is in front of the axle instead of behind; and Fig. 2 is a perspective'viewof my device complete, disconnectvehicles.

Similar characters of reference refer to The clamp piece 1, U-piece 2, yoke 3, pipe 4, lever 5, lug piece '6, U-piece 7, cross bar 8, connecting piece 9, rod 10 and steering of my device.

rod clamp 11, constitute the principal parts The clamp piece l is adapted to fit over the outer surface of the rear axle and is provided with two threaded extensions 1 over Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 29, 1916;"

.' Application filed May 16, 1914. Serial No. 839,019. i

Qn this clamp piece 1 is mounted the'. U- i P1608 2'by means of a swivel joint. Pivoty ounted in this" U-piece is the yoke 3 by means of the bolts'2 and 1", the clamp piece, U-piece 2, and yoke 3 forming a mug;

versal joint between the rear axle' and the pipe 4. Thisnut is adapted to screw into the. end of the pipe 4 which is an ordinary one-half inch or three-quarter inch pipe made in a plurality ofsections and connected by means of pipe couplings 4 so-that the length of the pipel4 may be increased or decreased by diiferent length pipes, as de sired. Mounted on. the other end of pipe 4 is a bifurcated 'piece 4 which is piv: otally mounted on the lug piece 6 by mears of a bolt 6. It will be noted that this-lg"; piece 6 extends between the U-piece flB the lever 5, but it may be made of casting: and become a portion of the lever 5, if desired. It is rigidly secured to the pieced so that any movementofthe lug piece 6 will move the lever 5. Pivotally secured to this lug piece 6, on its upper surface, is the U- piece 7 which is adapted to fit over the front axle of .the vehicle, and the cross bar 8- mounted on the extended and threaded ends 7 form a cla pinpon the front axle ofthe trailing vehl dle- This clamp may be clamped -sothat' the lever is below the' axle or reversed .so that the. lever is above the "axle, to suit the convenience and application to difl'erent makesof vehicles. The lever 5 is rigidly secured to the lug piece 6 so'th'at it pivots on the i-piece 7 by means ofthe' bolt 5. This is rwis provided in each of its ends with a plurality of holes 5" adapted ,for adjustment so that there may bea proper thrust of'the rod 10 with the rela tive movement of the rear axle of the trail; ing vehicle. Vertically pivoted'onthis 1e ver is the connecting piece 9 which is read: i ily detachable therefrom, and horizontally 10C pivoted in this connecting piece 9 is one end of the rod 10. .On the other end of the rod 10 is provided a U-shaped clamp 11 which is providedwith a cross piece lie adapted for clamping that end of the rod 10 to the steeringrpd of'the trailing ve-' hicle. a

I am aware that trailing devices have we been made for the purpose of trailing one "of a device of this class so constructed that -"the yices', so that the Y rearggheelsnt eachwtrail-n .10

vehicle behind another; but I am not aware it is adjustable so that it is applicable to the different makes of vehicles, and Which may be so adjusted that several vehicles of di erent makes may 'be trailed, one behind other, by the use of several of these de- 111g vehicle will'follow the. rear Wheels of the'trailed vehicle without any modification bination of a clamp piece,

'other holes therein and in the construction.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: o

1.1 In a vehicle trailing device, the coma U-piece swivelly connected thereto and a yoke piece pivotally connected to said 'U-piece, a rod secured to saidyoke a lug piece pivotally secured to said rod, a lever provided with a plurality of holes in each of its ends, horizontally and centrally pivoted to said lug piece, a clamp piece'secured to said lug piece, a rod mounted in one of the holes of sald lever so as to be readily removed to the a clamp piece pivoted vertically atits other end adapted to clamp on the steering rod of a traveling device.

2. In a vehicle trailing device, the combination of a clamp member, a U-piece swivelly secured to said clamp member, a yoke pivotally secured to said U-piece, a pipe formed in sections secured to said yoke, a lug pivotally secured on a yoke axis to said .lzod a, clamp member secured to said lug, a

lever provided-with a plurality of holes in each of its extended ends pivoted on a ver- I tical axis to said lug and clamp, a piece adapted to be readily pivoted in any of the h'olesin said lever, a rod horizontally pivoted thereto and a clamp horizontally pivoted to the other end of said rod whereby said trailing device may be readily secured- 

